College Central Research Laboratory
Welcome to the College Central Research Laboratory (CCRL) of Yaba College of Technology. This Centre of research was endowed on the College to support research work of academics, on the one hand, and cater to the research needs of others nation-wide. Centralizing research laboratories helps to pool resources together into a single location. This allows for efficient management of very expensive cutting-edge equipment in a conducive environment for research.
MISSION
To this end, CCRL pursues a mission, “to provide our clients with high quality laboratory and advisory services with technical support that meets multi-disciplinary research needs of students, academics, researchers and corporate organizations towards the technological development of the nation.”
VISION
CCRL aims at achieving the vision of becoming a one-stop research reference point for the academic and industry, providing research results with precision geared towards technological advancement of Nigeria.
HISTORY OF THE COLLEGE CENTRAL RESEARCH LABORATORY (CCRL)
Setting up of the Laboratory:
The Laboratory was set up since 2014 to cater to the interdisciplinary needs of researchers and students. The building housing the laboratory was however commissioned on the 12th of July, 2017. It houses: Four Computer Based Test (CBT) Laboratories, Chemical Engineering Laboratory; Mechatronic Engineering Laboratory, Marine Engineering Laboratory; Molecular Biology Laboratory, and Analytical Chemistry Laboratory.
Effective Operational date:
The Laboratory started up commercial services in the Analytical Chemistry and Molecular Biology Laboratories in August, 2018 shortly after holding its first ‘Student Training Series’ on July 30, 2018.
Source of funding:
Much of the funding to erect the building housing the laboratory and to acquire the equipment therein is provided by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), a federal government initiative to support research at the tertiary level.
Since inception, the laboratory has had two directors; Dr. Frank Biotidara who carried out resilient pioneering work, and the incumbent Dr. Lauretta N. Ofodile who was appointed director in May, 2018.
It is my great pleasure to acknowledge the contributions of all administrative staff members and others to the growth of this facility. I urge all and sundry to seize the opportunity offered by CCRL in the areas of analysis and various training, including instrumentation.
Location:
The laboratory is located just next to the 7-Storey building, currently reckoned as the tallest building, within the Yaba College of Technology campus, in Yaba town, Lagos State, Nigeria.
Capability:
The laboratory boasts of state-of-the-art equipment for research in materials, chemical, medical, pharmaceutical, agricultural and environmental sciences as well as molecular biology.
Since commissioning, the Center has been used by:
The Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB) as a CBT center in conducting the UTME examinations for students,
The Nigeria Customs in carrying out promotional and recruitment tests;
The Nigeria Police for promotional and recruitment tests,
JAMB for promotional and recruitment tests,
‘General Studies’ courses in Yaba College of Technology are now Computer-Based (CBT), and the Center is used for this purpose.
Ministry of Budget and National Planning also uses the Centre for its annual staff training on GIF/MIS Budget Preparation Subsystem.
Equipment in the Molecular Biology Laboratory are now functional and available for public use. The Lab recently acquired a Thermo Cycler (DNA Engine) for DNA analyses. Microbial load determinations have also been carried out on water samples, and project activities on Microbiological analyses by students have been undertaken.
Equipment in the Analytical Chemistry Laboratory have been put into use in carrying out several analyses including: Water potability tests, Environmental analyses such as the determination of in-situ parameters (D.O, pH, TDS, etc.), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD5), Heavy Metals concentrations and general pollution studies.
The Molecular Biology/Analytical Chemistry Laboratories of CCRL were privileged to be among the first to analyze the Yabatech Table and Sachet water towards NAFDAC certification.
The Chemical Engineering Lab is being used by students for their practical classes and demonstrations by the lecturers.
Bench spaces are offered in all the laboratories. Since August, 2018 till date, many students: Undergraduates and post-graduates have been accommodated for their project bench work.
Some of the equipment being put to use for these analyses include: Gas Chromatograph-Mass Spectrometer (GC-MS), High Performance Liquid Chromatograph (HPLC); X-Ray Diffractometer (XRD), Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (AAS), Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC ); UV-Visible Spectrophotometer, Calorific Analyzer (Bomb Calorimeter); XRF Analyzer (Aloys), Rotary Evaporator; Freeze Dryer, Refrigerated Centrifuge; Trinocular Imaging Microscope, Workstation with Laminar Flow; Orbital Shaking Incubator, Computer Controlled Gas Absorption Column (CCGAC), DNA Engine, Gel Electrophoresis tank, Photo Prep, etc.
PICTURES OF EVENTS
Other activities of the Center include:
Students Training Series, which commenced in July 2018. The second Series held in April, 2019, and third series commenced in March, 2020 but was truncated by the Coronavirus lockdown.
Weekly In-House Equipment Training Session
College Programmes held at CCRL
